Two for 2012

The folks at Habitat for Humanity Thunder Bay are an ambitious lot in 2012.

The organization has committed to building a pair of homes for families in need this year, a move kick-started on Thursday with a donation of a handcrafted ambulance-shaped playhouse to be auctioned off at next weekend’s Spring Home and Garden Show at the CLE.

“We’re going to build one on Home Avenue and we’re going to build one on Mary Street,” said Diane Mitchell, Habitat for Humanity Thunder Bay CEO.

“So that’s really exciting to be able to help two families, and that’s a direct result of donations like this from the paramedics.
Rob Corbeil, who helped build the playhouse in his garage, said the paramedics of Canadian Autoworkers Union local 229 have been contributing a playhouse for the past four years, an involvement that seems to be growing over time.

“I’m hoping this year we’ll actually get involved in the build projects … It’s something we enjoy doing. It’s obviously going to help people, which is what we do,” Corbeil said, calling the playhouse a labour of love.

Mitchell said the playhouse usually brings in between $3,000 and $4,000 in ticket sales. It costs about $75,000 to build each house, she added, money that is paid back through low-interest mortgages given to the eventual homeowners.

Habitat has built 22 homes in Thunder Bay since 1994.